Become a Community/Joint Faculty member

A Community/Joint faculty member is an active or retired health care industry professional with extensive experience in healing patients working in a hospital, private practice, or rural setting who volunteers their time to assist in training students and/or residents and fellows at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine.

Community/Joint faculty members understand the importance of teaching medical learners to be exceptional health care professionals and enjoy the benefits of partnering with the first public medical school in Nevada.

Community & Joint Faculty Appointments

Community faculty appointments are faculty appointments granted by the University of Nevada, Reno through recommendations from a University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) Department Chair (or their designee) and the approval by the Senior Associate Dean of the Office for Faculty. There are a variety of elements related to Community Faculty member appointments: academic unit, title, rank, and the expectations for Community Faculty ranks and promotions. According to university bylaws, these are defined as adjunct appointments.

Joint faculty appointments are defined in the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) code. UNR confers a joint appointment on eligible faculty members who are employed by UNR Med’s major hospital partners: Renown Health or the Sierra Nevada VA. The use of joint appointments promotes the academic partnerships between UNR Med and regional hospital partners, and represents significant investment by these clinical partners in the education and research missions. Joint faculty are not paid directly by UNR Med.

If you're interested in becoming a Community Faculty or Joint Faculty member, please complete the interest form or make an appointment to learn more about the appointment process, teaching/mentoring opportunities and benefits.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a Community or Joint Faculty appointment:

  • For clinicians participating as preceptors in patient care settings, clinicians must have an active medical license with the state medical board and be in good standing, must have active malpractice insurance, and a valid DEA number (if applicable). The requirement of malpractice can be waived if the terms of appointment clearly state that there will be no patient care.
  • Complete and maintain current on mandatory sexual harassment and discrimination prevention training per Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 284.496 every two years.
  • Acknowledge and review the UNR Med Medical Education Program Objectives, and policies on Student Mistreatment, Alcohol/Drug Free Workplace, Nevada Workplace Safety, HIPAA Letter of Information and Primacy of UNR Med’s Authority over Academic Affairs and Community Faculty Responsibility
  • Appointments are granted at the discretion of the department chair.

For information on Community/Joint faculty promotions, please refer to the handbook.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are a number of ways to get involved, and any time spent with students can be a rewarding experience, as well as an investment in a healthy Nevada. Opportunities below include teaching/mentoring of medical, physician assistant and speech pathology & audiology students, residents and fellows.

Classroom Teaching

  • Case Conference: The Case Conference combines individual and team learning and provides another didactic opportunity outside the classroom.
    • Clinical cases are presented to year 1 and 2 medical students, which provides the context for integrating basic science content into the practice of medicine. Faculty members and Community Faculty members guide students throughout the week as they work on the case.
  • Year 1-2 Blocks: Foundational curriculum from presentations to lab activities
  • Clinical Skills Assessments: During specific times of the year, the Year 1 Practice of Medicine and Year 2 Advanced Clinical Skills courses hold Observed History and Physical Exams using simulated cases. Community/Joint faculty observe and evaluate the encounter be providing feedback to the students.
  • Clinical and Technical Skills Lab – PA Students: Teach specific diagnostic skills and procedures by providing hands-on instruction in the laboratory
  • Anatomy Lab Review: Teach groups of medical or PA students during anatomy lab
  • Office of Diversity and Inclusion Series Speaker: The Office of Diversity and Inclusion hosts an annual event, aimed at creating a larger conversation of diversity and inclusion issues facing the community and campus. Other opportunities involve presentations or dialogue sessions.

Clinical Teaching

  • Years 1 & 2 Preceptorship: Community/Joint faculty physicians mentor medical students during the first two years of school within their clinical setting. Teach a Year 1 or Year 2 medical student clinical and communication skills in your clinic/organization one half day per week (6-9 total)
  • Year 3 & Year 4 Clerkships/Electives: Clerkship teaching and elective development for learners to gain clinical experiences. Teach Year 3 or Year 4 medical student(s) specific specialty content and skills within your clinical setting. Year 3 features ambulatory and inpatient medical education during clerkships in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry OB/GYN, Selective (IM or Surg subspec.) and Surgery (time frames vary).
  • Physician Assistant Studies Clerkships and Elective Clinical Rotations: Teach second-year PA student(s) specific specialty content and skills within your clinical setting. Clerkship rotations feature ambulatory and inpatient education in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Family Medicine, Behavioral Medicine, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Women’s Health, Medically Underserved Populations and Surgery. Electives: Second-year PA students are given the opportunity to choose a one-month medical experience. Commonly requested electives include internal medicine and surgical subspecialties.
  • Rural Rotation: Learners experience clinical immersion in the rural and frontier communities. Year 4 medical students are expected to immerse themselves in the preceptor's schedule (office/hospital/call/community) for 4 weeks.
  • Graduate Medical Education: Opportunities to provide supervised patient care, hands-on learning experiences, and didactic education opportunities to residents and fellows.
  • Residency programs in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Fellowships in Child/Adolescent Psychiatry, Geriatric Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Primary Care Sports Medicine.
  • Student Outreach Clinic: Since 1996, the Student Outreach Clinic (SOC) has offered free medical care to the uninsured or underinsured community in Northern Nevada. Medical students gain hands-on experience under the direct supervision of licensed physician volunteers to provide access to care for those who would otherwise go without.
  • Speech Pathology & Audiology (SPA) Undergraduate Observations and Graduate Student Externships
  • Speech Pathology & Audiology (SPA) Comprehensive Clinical Examinations

Admissions, Mentoring and Other Opportunities

  • Admissions | Impacting Careers: Participate in Mini Multiple interview session for admission of medical students.
  • Service of the UNR Med Admissions Committee: Members participate in holistic review and selection of medical students to the MD, BS-MD and Post-Bac programs or participation in the admission/application review and interview process for Physician Assistant Studies students.
  • Coaching Program: Coach to 4-7 medical students. Guide students in their development in goal setting, self-discovery, and application of positive psychology tools in the professional setting.
  • Career Advising: Advising and mentoring opportunities for medical and/or PA students (i.e. specialty advising workshops or interest groups, residency interview and application reviewers).
  • Mentoring | Diversity & Inclusion: Mentoring medical students, residents or fellows who are underrepresented in medicine, working with diversity student groups, serving on diversity in medicine panels, working with students on health equity
  • Research Mentor: Involving medical, speech pathology & audiology and/or PA students in your research or mentoring them on a new project.
  • Student Leadership Development for PA Students: Become a PA student advisor to the Student Society or other student run committee.
  • NevadaFIT Mentorship Program: Mentor incoming freshman interested in Speech Pathology & Audiology through HealthFIT alongside a fellow SPA faculty.